NATO soldier killed in Afghanistan

A NATO soldier has been killed in an attack by the Taliban, one day after the militants vowed to intensify attacks on US-led troops in Afghanistan.

According to a NATO statement on Sunday, the soldier was killed in volatile southern part of the country. The nationality of the soldier is yet to be revealed.

The death brought the number of foreign troops killed in the war-torn country this year to 186.

In a Saturday statement, the militants threatened to launch an offensive that would target “Americans, NATO members and their surrogates.”

According to official announcements, 2009 was the deadliest year for foreign troops with a total of 520 US-led soldiers killed in action.

Attacks against some 130,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan have been on the rise. The US, meanwhile, plans to deploy 30,000 extra troops by August in an effort to bring the increasing militancy under control.

The 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, involving forces mostly from NATO countries, has so far failed to bring security to the war-ravaged country.